New Reality
by sTaR SNipEr
Summary: Post-movie. Ariadne tries to live on a normal graduate student after the inception. But reality isn't really enough for her anymore.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – I wish I owned it. But I don't. This is purely for my entertainment and hopefully yours, the reader's.

A/N: Every break in this story takes place over a period of time. In the beginning it's a few hours, but near the middle its at least 3-5 months in between. Then it goes back to the same flow of time near the beginning. Just wanted to clarify the time line a little bit before you read :)

###

Reality wasn't enough for her anymore.

It never had been, necessarily. She just lived in it because she had to. She followed the mundane, precarious steps that life had laid out for her, because nothing else existed outside of her college reality. She built, she designed, she followed all the rules.

That was before Dom Cobb came in and broke her entire world.

Reality didn't suit her taste after the job.

###

The number of zeros that show up in Ariadne's bank account just hours after the plane landed made her dizzy.

It was more than enough to pay for the rest of graduate school. Schooling she didn't know if she even wanted anymore, but knew she needed. One didn't get by simply by designing and building in dreams, after all.

But she wouldn't think of that now. Right now, she was on vacation. L.A. had a lot to offer. Let's see what this money could buy.

###

L.A. was lonely without a companion. They had all disbanded and left one another after the plane landed. They weren't supposed to know each other. She played her part well.

She wished she could've said goodbye.

Her hotel room is strewn with the purchases of the day. She wasn't one to splurge on brand name shoes or perfumes. A lot of what she bought was on architecture. Designs with endless images, models, and lots of raw material. She would continue to build, because design was her passion. It filled her reality and her dreams completely.

But her dreams and reality were now both lonely too.

###

When she finally returns to Paris, reality feels like a dream. Or, it feels like the way her dreams used to feel. She can only rest when she takes the bishop out of her pocket and watches it fall. Regardless, reality doesn't feel like it used to.

In the real world, there are things she cannot control. In her dreams, she controls everything.

Reality is not as satisfying as her dreams. But reality trumps dreams in the end. So she tries to live in it the best she can.

###

She wishes she could tell her friends about the dream experience. But that would incriminate her in her crime. So she stays silent about the subject, and tries to immerse herself in Paris. In school. In life.

It's not very easy, but she manages, remembering what happened to Dom when he lost himself too far in a dream with Mal. Limbo was not something she wanted to return to.

She misses Dom.

She knows if she wanted to she could see him. Professor Miles would take her to him. Dom was no longer a wanted man. But she chooses not to, because she's afraid she might want to lose herself completely in the dreams. She was just barely beginning to accept reality again.

Besides, Dom no longer needed the dreams. He had his reality and he was never going to let it go again.

###

One day, a boy she's studying with suddenly kisses her and her mind sees Arthur.

She pulls away, surprised and scared. The boy takes it the wrong way and apologizes repeatedly. Ariadne just gets up and walks away.

Arthur wasn't her first kiss, and the job was almost 4 months behind her now. So where had her brain conjured up that image? The boy didn't look or act like Arthur at all.

More importantly, would it happen every time she kissed a boy?

###

The next time she kisses a boy, she's at a bar with some girls from her classes and a few of them have dates. They ask her why she isn't dating anyone. She has no answer to give.

Later that night, someone strikes up a conversation with her. She can't help but look into his eyes. They're a brilliant blue, a familiar blue. It's a color that she misses.

He buys her drinks. After a few, she leans in and kisses him. Her mind doesn't drift to Arthur this time, but Ariadne knows she's kissing him for all the wrong reasons, and alcohol was the least of those.

His eyes could never match Dom's, but they were good enough tonight.

###

Months later, she tries to date a boy in one of her design classes. He is fun and flirty and charming. He's also absolutely breathtaking to her.

He is impressed by her designs, and doesn't make fun of her like some of her friends do for her endless drawings. She always has a sketch book on hand. Ariadne's flat mate tells her daily that her room is like a labyrinth of buildings and mazes.

She tries to explain to him how she dreams without giving away her gift, her secret. He tells her she's brilliant for being able to lucidly dream.

Right. That's what everyone else called it. If only they knew just _how _lucidly she dreams.

The relationship doesn't last. Deep down she knew it couldn't. She couldn't share the most important part of her with him. But it breaks her heart all the same.

For once reality is too much for her. She needs an escape. So she locks herself in her dreams. She builds and builds and she makes sky scrapers so high it's impossible to see where they end. She builds walls and buildings and gardens and parks and theaters. She designs to escape and to ultimately gain relief.

When she's done, she tears down the entire city before her, and wakes.

###

Her friends are worried about her. They say all she does now is sleep. She can't explain it to them and they think she's depressed. She's not. She got over the break up a long time ago. Besides, she could never be with anyone who doesn't understand the world she builds inside her.

But reality isn't good enough for her anymore. She tried and it didn't live up to her expectations and now she just has her dreams.

Her friends worry more and make her see the school psychiatrist. He finds nothing wrong. Ariadne tries to build awake again, however, just so her friends don't worry. It's not as satisfying, but it relaxes her and reminds her of the reality she enjoyed before she knew she could control her dreams. For a few hours a day, she feels almost peaceful, like nothing in her life is missing.

###

In her dreams, there is a man who can kiss like Arthur, but has Dom's striking blue eyes and Eames's charm and laugh. And a little sprinkle of Yusuf's intelligence. He is her perfect match. He understands her dreams and her desires.

But he can never exist. Not in reality.

So Ariadne locks herself in her dreams with him.

###

"Come back to reality, Ariadne."

Her eyes widen in shock, and then realization hits her like a cold splash to the face. Of course Professor Miles would notice what she was doing to herself. He was Dom's father after all. He'd recommended her for the job in the first place.

The job. It was so long ago. She wondered what they were all doing now. It was almost a year ago now. She almost asks but then holds herself back.

Instead, she nods and apologizes for worrying him. He smiles back at her and nods, then hits her with another cold splash to the face.

"When you get your affairs back in order, come back and let me know. I may have another job offer for you."

###

A month later, she's outside of an abandoned church. She clutches the bishop tightly in her pocket and its weight assures her that she's not dreaming.

She'd only recently realized how much she missed the job. It was the reason Dom and Arthur and even Eames haunted her dreams and interrupted her realities, particularly her choice in companionship. The job was her dream lover, it represented what she needed in her life.

She needed a purpose to design and create. She needed more than just her endless dreamscape to bend and twist. She needed a challenge and Dom had given her that and satisfied all her needs with the inception.

That job was over now. She has a new one to take. She can't be a good architect if the past is holding her back.

Her dream lover is dead.

###

She enters the church, not knowing what, or who to expect. Professor Miles didn't tell her who exactly was hiring her, he'd only given her this address and told her she'd be highly recommended for the team.

The area is mostly dark, except for a back room that's dimly lit. She calls out uncertainly.

"Hello?"

There's movement from inside the room and an unfamiliar head peeks out. She's disappointed. She wishes it were someone from her old team.

"Oh! Are you Ariadne?" He's a young man, barely older than her, and she suddenly feels a little special because she by far the youngest and brightest when she worked with Cobb and his team. She nods mutely to his question.

"Awesome, our architect's here!" he's loud and carefree, so much the opposite of Dom. Surely he couldn't be the extractor? She hears more shuffling inside. The others know she's here.

"Ariadne?" her heart speeds up as a familiar man walks out of the room to greet her. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. She rushes to hug him and he almost topples over at the unexpected force.

"I missed you so much," is all she can say without bursting into tears and becoming unsightly in front of her new team.

"Missed Arthur? What? How could _anyone_ miss that stick in the mud?" she looks up again in shock and freezes. Eames is here too. She looks around quickly but there's no one else. She's almost disappointed that Dom isn't here, but she knows he's much happier without the job.

She realizes she's still holding on to Arthur and suddenly her skin feels like it's on fire. She lets go quickly and tries to compose herself.

"Uhm sorry. It's just…good to see both of you. I haven't heard from anyone since the job."

"Lucky you. I can't get him to leave me alone." Arthur mutters. He's annoyed and Ariadne knows he's referring to Eames. She smiles. Some things never change.

"Oh pish posh, you know you love having me around darling," Eames counters then walks to Ariadne and holds out his hand to her, showing a Cheshire smile that until now she had only seen in her dreams. "It's good to see you again."

She smiles and grips his hand tightly with both of hers.

"Its good to be back. Now, what's the job?"

For the first time since the inception, reality is finally enough for her. The job is her new reality.


	2. Chapter 2

I hadn't planned on continuing this story. But enough people I think added it to a Story Alert that I felt like I should try at least. Hopefully I haven't completely butchered what I thought was a relatively good story.

Also, I haven't quite decided on a pairing for this story yet. But I can tell you it's definitely not Cobb/Ariadne. Even though this chapter contains mostly them in it. I'd write them a little differently if it were.

Disclaimer - I wouldn't be writing this if I owned it :)

###

Extraction is very different from Inception.

Ariadne learns this fairly quickly. The tactics are different, more urgent. Although the inception was no leisurely stroll on the park, there seems to be less time to do an extraction. It's almost more exciting this way.

Except for the fact that she was trapped on the first level of the dream, waiting for the kick from up above, and with no one to talk to. The projections hounding on the steel door in front of her aren't really helping any either.

She's locked herself, ironically, in a bank safe with the team. One that conveniently locks from the inside and only she knows the combination. She wishes she descended to the second level, but someone's gotta be the guard.

She sighs and glances at her watch, willing time to move faster.

The music starts playing.

###

Emerging from a dream always felt so surreal to her. She grips the bishop in her pocket to make sure she's really woken up, just in case. She has.

She glances quickly over to her left and right to make sure the others have as well. All except for The Mark. They're coming out of slumber. She quickly removes her drip and The Mark's as well, as he's sitting closest to her.

They get up and disappear without a trace.

"Two hours from now, in The Renaissance," is all she hears from Arthur before he disappears.

###

Two hours is a long time to kill in the middle of nowhere Ohio. Ariadne manages though, and makes sure she doesn't show up at the hotel bar too early, looking suspicious.

The first person she spots is Eames, and not surprisingly, he has a woman on each side. She sits down on the other side of one of the women and orders a drink, feigning disinterest.

The women leave eventually and all it takes is a brief shared glance for her to understand her directions.

Eames and Arthur greet her at the elevator twenty minutes later.

"Where's Alphonse?" she asks. Alphonse is their extractor, and he'd usually be with them.

"Upstairs," Arthur answers briskly.

"Why?" she asks.

"Just because," Arthur replies and his tone implies that that is the end of it. Ariadne wonders if there's something wrong. They hadn't somehow failed the job in the last two hours, had they? Her worried expression catches Eames's attention and he grins at her, which confuses her even more.

###

Alphonse greets them with expensive champagne and a ridiculous three layer cake that says "Happy Birthday Ariadne!" on it.

Arthur is terrible at keeping secrets and looking natural, Ariadne decides.

"Make a wish darling," Eames says next to her. He places an arm around her shoulder and kisses the top of her head. She knows he's got alternative motives, and her suspicions are confirmed when she notices Arthur's glare.

Eames had grown fond of her during the mission. There's dinners, meetings, and even dreams behind them now, so naturally Eames uses her to antagonize Arthur with to no end. Their relationship is much different from when they'd barely spoken two sentences to one another during the inception.

In her defense, all of her time was occupied by another blue-eyed man she wished here tonight. It's her wish to see him again as she blows out the candles.

Not even five minutes later, there's a soft, coded rapt on the door. Ariadne cannot contain her excitement when she realizes who it is.

She runs to him with much more force than she had when she was reunited with Arthur. Cobb is knocked to the ground, and then they're both laughing, and she's ready to cry because it's been so long since she'd seen him, the man who's probably her closest friend.

She doesn't notice the way Arthur's eyes change when he sees them together.

###

She spends the whole night talking only to Cobb. She asks about his children, his parents, his _life_. Cobb knows most of what's gone on in _her_ life because of Professor Miles. His eyes tell her that he knows what she did to herself, but he doesn't mention it with other people around.

"How's your building going?" he asks.

"See for yourself," she offers. He takes her up on it. It's only 5 minutes in the real world after all.

###

Cobb is amazed by the cities Ariadne has built inside herself. She was truly a prodigy and could be world renowned if she could mimic even a fraction of her designs in the real world. Cobb feels guilty for bringing her into the dreams. Reality isn't what Ariadne wants anymore. He knows this because he's been keeping tabs on her. Miles is worried too.

Ariadne glows with pride when she sees how deep in awe Cobb is. But she doesn't miss the darkness behind his eyes, and she's reminded that he knows what it cost for her to build this infinite dreamscape.

"How far down did you go Ariadne?" the question is simple yet threatening to her because she knows she has to acknowledge what's been wrong. And she'd tried so hard to forget it too.

"Not far enough to be lost," she answers truthfully. "I remembered what happened with Mal." But it was tempting all the same, and she had even constructed a lover to keep her company as she dove deeper into the recesses of her mind. If it hadn't been for Miles, she may have gone that deep. The thought scares her.

"You almost did." And he's holding papers in his hands and she knows for sure now that he knows everything. The psychiatrist's report, the testimony from her friends, her rapidly falling grades, they're all collected in that little plain folder, and Cobb is looking at her with concerned eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says remorsefully, which surprises her. "I shouldn't have brought you into this, I know what you're going through, it shouldn't be something you have to deal with, I should've better prepared you but I was so concerned with getting back home that I…"

She places a finger over his mouth and hugs him.

"You never did anything but introduce me to the most wonderful dream," she says. "I did everything to myself, because I couldn't handle reality anymore. But it's okay now. Please don't worry about me Cobb. I won't…" she pauses, unsure if she wants to finish her sentence.

"You won't turn out like me?" he's smiling for the first time since they entered the dream. She can't help but laugh a little despite herself.

"Yes," she answers. "I won't turn out like you. I'm better than that you know."

They laugh simultaneously, and continue to explore her city. Cobb knows she'll be all right, but he tells both Arthur and Eames to keep a look on her and keep him updated from time to time. Arthur only nods stiffly, and Eames laughs and says he'll keep a _special_ eye on their architect.

Cobb isn't sure he wants to know. He saw Eames's influence on Ariadne's city. The forger's taste for flair was easy to recognize, having worked with him on many a dream before. But he trusts that his protégé is in good hands, he would trust Arthur and Eames with his life, had before, and even though he didn't turn out all that great, he hoped at least Ariadne would.

She was better than him in all aspects, after all.


End file.
